International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Coca-Cola enter global partnership

Coca-Cola Hellenic has welcomed the opportunity to build upon its disaster response programme and community development projects across its 28 countries following the signing of a partnership agreement between the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC).

The global partnership involves USD 2 million funding from The Coca-Cola Company to support the IFRC's work in disaster response and public engagement in communities as well as a USD 1 million donation from the Coca-Cola Foundation to the IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Fund.

The Coca-Cola Company and the Red Cross Red Crescent already work together in over 50 countries. This new partnership, which employs the capabilities and expertise of local bottling partners, aims to increase collaboration between the Red Cross Red Crescent and the Coca-Cola system. Coca-Cola Hellenic has been active with national Red Cross Societies in nine countries for many years and welcomes the formalisation of the relationship in a focused, global way.

Doros Constantinou, Chief Executive Officer, Coca-Cola Hellenic, said: "By building on our connections with the IFRC we believe we can be better positioned to structure and prepare activities that can address the growing sustainability challenges and threats to vulnerable people in the communities we serve. Working together we will be able to more swiftly identify needs as well as the most efficient and effective ways to respond to them."

Coca-Cola Hellenic has previously provided financial aid to victims of disasters, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2009 Haiti earthquake. In addition Coca-Cola Hellenic in Italy, in response to the Abruzzo earthquake in 2009, helped by providing warehouse space, distributing food and other supplies and integrating employees of the company as volunteers in the Italian Red Cross. The company donated EUR 400,000 towards National Civil Protection projects and restoration of the local university.

In response to the significant outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu in Ukraine in 2009, Coca-Cola Hellenic cooperated with the Ukrainian Red Cross in order to provide medical information and advice. Within 48 hours of the outbreak, medical supplies and educational material had been delivered across the whole country.

Following devastating fires in Greece in 2007 and last summer in Russia, and floods that swept across dozens of communities in Eastern Europe between May and August 2010, Coca-Cola Hellenic teams provided emergency relief and support to thousands of residents affected.

In 2010, Coca-Cola Hellenic in Greece launched an eight-month community healthcare programme called "I Care for My Health", which, in collaboration with the Hellenic Red Cross and local authorities, provided health education and medical examinations to residents of remote areas and islands.

Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria signed a three-year partnership agreement in 2010. To kick-off the partnership, blood donation days were held.

On a day-to-day basis Coca-Cola Hellenic has worked with the IFRC to assist with vaccination programmes and first aid training, land-mine awareness, and the supply of medical equipment and education materials to combat diseases, among others.

Information about the Group's sustainability commitments and programmes is available at www.cchellenic.com. Details of IFRC activities can be found at www.ifrc.org.